The present invention generally relates to a feeding system. More specifically, the present invention relates to a feeding system which transfers products from the feeding system to moving carriers on a conveyor system. An inserter is employed capable of depositing the products such that the products come to rest within a controlled area of the carrier and with a controlled orientation.
It is, of course, known to transfer articles from a first conveyor apparatus to a second conveyor apparatus. An example of such a conveying system is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,160,500 to Mehren.
In the patent to Mehren, a turn conveyor apparatus is disposed between two conveyors having angularly related travel axes for the purpose of transporting articles, such as envelopes, from one conveyor to the other. The turn conveyor includes drive and idler sprockets having horizontal, angularly related axes of rotation. The sprockets are connected by an endless belt traversing a rotating corner disk assembly having a vertical axis of rotation and disposed between the sprockets. The disk assembly includes upper and lower disks receiving the endless belt, and the endless belt includes spaced friction pads on the outer surface. The disk assembly also includes a base disk located below the lower disk and having an annular surface disposed adjacent the endless belt and cooperating with the friction pads to grip the envelopes and transport them in an arcuate path from one angularly related conveyor to the other.
It is also known to rotationally transport objects from a first conveyor to a second conveyor wherein each of the conveyors have a longitudinal extending central axis. Such a system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,212 to Munsch.
The apparatus disclosed by Munsch includes a swivel arm with an axis and a rotary plate rotatably mounted on the swivel arm axis extending at least partially to the first and second conveyors. A drive is provided by rotating the rotary plate. The carriers are rotatably mounted beneath the rotary plate in regular intervals along the periphery of the rotary plate. The carriers have a gripper and a carrier axis for counter rotation and for consecutively gripping the object conveyed by the first conveyor. The objects are transported to a second conveyor and placed on the second conveyor without altering the orientation of the objects with respect to the first conveyor.
Each of the known systems, however, has its drawbacks. Primarily, the systems do not allow or provide controlled orientation from one conveyor onto a moving carrier of a second conveyor. Therefore, the known inserters are not constructed and arranged so as to provide an output of product in a desired orientation of the product being conveyed from the first conveyor to a second carrier or conveyor. Moreover, the known systems are not designed to provide synchronized conveyance of a product onto a moving carrier.
A need, therefore, exists for an improved inserter device and a method for inserting products carried from a first conveyor and transported to a second conveyor or carrier wherein the product can be deposited on the carrier within a controlled area and with a controlled orientation.